Towel retainer



July 22, 1969 K. M. D'AMATO 3,456,807

TOWEL RETAINER Filed Deg. 12, 1966 By JM/ iffy/P446):

Elnited rates Patent 3,456,807 TOWEL RETATNER Kathleen M. DAmato, Normandy, Mo. (7346 Tulane, University City, Mo. 63130) Filed Dec. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 61,029 lint. Cl. A471: /04

US. Cl. 211123 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A towel retainer having a support rod suspended from a stationary towel rack that is customarily secured to a wall. The support rod is insertable through a casing provided along one marginal edge of a towel, and said support rod and towel are suspended from the towel rack by means of clamps. These clamps may be disengaged from their connection with the towel rack and support rod when it is desired to remove a soiled towel from the towel retainer and replace it with a clean towel.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a towel retainer for use in arranging a towel for convenient and ready usage, while simultaneously preventing its inadvertent and undesirable loosening and dropping to the floor, such as frequently occurs during use of a conventional towel rack.

Every home presently includes in both the kitchen and bathrooms one or more conventional type racks that are primarily used for providing a means for suspending bath towels, hand towels, dish towels, or any other type cloth that may be used for related purposes. These racks are generally rigidly secured to the surface of the wall, door or any other planar surface at a height that provides for convenient usage of the towel suspended upon it. It has long been the customary practice to simply drape one-half of the towel over the foregoing type rack while simultaneously attempting to evenly spread it uniformly across the rack so that it will substantially expose a sufiicient area of approximately one-half of its useable surface that may be readily applied for drying purposes. One major detriment that has long existed in this type of arrangement is that when a towel is constantly or repeatedly used, it eventually becomes disarrayed in its suspension to such irregularity that it eventually loses support and falls upon the fioor. From a practical standpoint such occurrences constitute a nuisance and are quite bothersome to anyone who desires to have a towel within ease of reach for rapid usage. Psychologically, most every one is rather adverse to making use of a towel for wiping purposes of the various parts of the body, such as the hands or face, when it is necessary to first recover the towel from its disposition upon the floor where it has fallen. In addition, and as a result of the condition previously set forth, many people make it a practice to routinely discard any towel found upon the floor into the used clothes hamper for subsequent washing, disregarding and unknowing that this particular towel may have just previously been set upon the rack in a fresh and clean condition. Consequently, the washing chore of the homemaker is increased by having to wash numerous towels that need not have been so quickly discarded as soiled items. For the foregoing reasons, a towel retainer constructed in accordance with the principle of this invention has a very definite utility as a household item.

This invention contemplates the use of a common household towel which is slightly modified in construction so as to provide it with a casing along the marginal edge of one side. When the towel casing is engaged with the towel retainer of this invention, and both are secured in suspension from a standard wall rack, the towel in its entirety, and not simply a half portion, will hang lengthwise downwardly for ready and convenient usage by anyone desiring to make use of such. As a result of the interconnection between the towel, retainer, and the standard wall rack, all the members are secured against unwanted loosening or dropping, and remain fixed in position until intentionally separated. By simply disconnecting one of the clamping means that suspends the towel retainer upon the wall rack, one may facilely and rapidly remove a soiled towel and replace it with a fresh one. In this manner, the irritating problems previously mentioned associated with the use of standard towel racks are eliminated, and are replaced by the numerous benefits derived through the use of the towel retainer of this invention.

It is another object of this invention to provide a towel retainer which may be used in suspending a towel for ready usage, and which may be easily manipulated to provide for replacement of a repeatedly used and soiled towel with a clean and fresh one.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a towel retainer which may be used for vertically suspending a towel in its entirety, over its full length and entire width, so that a maximum drying surface may be exposed for usage.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a towel retainer which is structurally sound, simplified in construction, and which enhances the appearances of the vicinity in which it is used.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the towel retainer and towel as suspended from a conventional wall rack;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of the towel retainer as suspended from the wall rack;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the towel retainer taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2, with the broken-line outline revealing the clamping means partially opened;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modified towel retainer and towel as suspended from a conventional wall rack;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the towel retainer taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, with the broken-line outline revealing the clamping means partially opened.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is disclosed the towel retainer A as it is suspended from a conventional towel wall rack 1. There are numerous types of racks presently in use, but the one shown is comprised of a normally horizontally disposed bar 2 that is connected at each curved end to a bracket 3, which may be permanently secured to the vertical surface of a wall, door, etc., by means of a plurality of fasteners 4. Suspended downwardly from the wall retainer A is a towel 5, the upper marginal edge of said towel being folded over and stitched, as at 6, so as to provide a casing 7. Shown inserted through the towel casing is a support member 8, in this embodiment revealed as a rod which is rectangular in cross section, and having a length approximating, or slightly shorter than, the overall length of the bar 2 of said wall rack. Provided through the support member 8 proximate to each end are apertures 9, and connecting to the support rod by interconnecting through the foregoing apertures are a pair of clamps 10 and 11. See also FIGURES 2 and 3. When the clamps are properly connected upon the support rod, and are loosely mounted upon the bar 2 of the wall rack, the retainer and towel will be secured in suspension and prevented from becoming disengaged.

By referring to FIGURE 3, it can be seen that the clamps are constructed having a stirrup-like appearance, and as shown, are rather ovoid in contour. The clamps are provided having open spacings, such as revealed at 12, provided centrally therethrough, and when the towel retainer is placed into operative position as previously described, its clamps conveniently rest upon the bar 2 of the wall rack. The downward portions of the clamps are formed with integral converging arm portions 13 and 14, and connecting to the end of each arm are lobe members 15 and 16. Projecting perpendicularly, centrally from the lobe member 15 is a stem 17, and said stern has a knoblike portion 18 formed at its free opposite end. This knob portion is provided with a center slot 19, so as to provide some resiliency to the knob and allow for its reduction or expansion in size such as when it is engaged or disengaged from within the lobe member 16. Provided centrally through lobe 16 is an aperture which is arranged for reception of the knob portion 18 of the stem, such as when it is desired to secure the clamp in closure. The lobe member 16 is provided with an integral annular protrusion 21, that is designed having an internal diameter slightly less than the external diameter of the knob 18, so as to require a slight contraction of the knob during its insertion into the lobe member 16 when the clamp is pressure forced into closure.

The various clamps 10 and 11 may be constructed of any type of durable, yet resilient, material that may provide the sturdy means necessary for suspension of the support rod 8 from the wall rack, and which further facilitates their opening or closing as desired so as to ease the process of removal and replacement of said rod and any towel suspended upon the same. It is to be noted that the support rod 8 is retained by the clamps through the insertion of the stems 17 within the apertures 9 of the rod. When arranged in this manner, the knob like member 13 of each stem protrudes beyond the apertures 9, allowing for the interconnection and locking of the lobe 16 upon said knob. Since this knob is provided with some inherent resiliency, partially as a result of the slot 19 being cut therethrough, a small amount of manual pressure exerted up on the oppositely exposed side surfaces of the lobe members will provide for the insertion and retention of the knob within the lobe member 16. Likewise, when it is desired to reopen the clamps, the exertion of a force upon the inner portions of the arms 13 and 14 provides for the disengagement of lobe 16 from the knob, as revealed in the broken line outline of FIGURE 3, which thereby allows for the removal of the support rod 8 and eventual Withdrawal of the towel 5. To reconstruct the towel retainer, a new towel may be inserted upon the support rod, and said rod reinserted upon the stem 17, with the lobe member 16 subsequently being pressured into contact with the knob 18. As such, the towel retainer is ready for reuse.

The modified towel retainer B, as revealed in FIGURE 4, is quite similar in construction to the retainer previously described, and comprises a support member 22, herein revealed as a rod, which is suspended by means of a pair of clamps 23 and 24 from a bar 25 of a stationary wall rack. When the towel retainer is properly arranged into operative disposition, a towel 26, having a casing 27 formed along one of its marginal sides, is conveniently suspended from the support member 22 of said towel re tainer.

One of the clamps used in conjunction with this modification of the towel retainer is more clearly shown in FIGURE 5, and is comprised of an elongated ring-like member 28 formed from any resilient material, such as a metal or plastic. The clamp is formed so as to be provided with overlapping end portions, one of which comprises a stem-like member 29, which overlaps and may be retained in closure by being resiliently biased into a seating engagement within the curved channel-like opposite end 30.

Reopening of the clamp is accomplished by simply exerting an inwardly directed manual pressure upon the stem 29 so as to disengage it from its contact within the channelled end 30, while disaligning it and allowing it under its inherent resiliency to expand open beyond the end 30, as shown in the broken line outline. When maintained in this manner, the entire towel retainer may be removed from the bar 25, or the downward portion 31 of the ring-like member 28 may be slid out from the aperture 32 of the support member, with the latter being removed from the end 30 of the clamp. In this manner, one end of the support member 22 will be rendered free and any towel retained thereon may be removed and replaced.

The various clamps revealed in this invention are constructed so as to provide the means necessary for permanently retaining the support member properly suspended from a wall rack. Any particular design of a clamp may be utilized provided it will properly retain the support member in a manner as previously described, and allow for its manual opening or closing so as to facilitate the insertion or removal of a towel from the retainer.

It is to be further understood that the above described invention is simply illustrative, and other designs may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principle of the invention and naturally be included Within the spirit and scope thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A towel retainer for use in conjunction with a stationary rack permanently mounted to a surface for providing fixed support for a substantially lengthwise suspended replaceable towel comprising, a casing provided along one marginal edge of said towel, a support member inserted through said casing, a pair of disconnectable clamps, one of each clamp connecting proximate to opposite ends of said support member for suspending said support member and towel in fixed relationship with said stationary rack.

2. A towel retainer for providing fixed support for a replaceable towel and used in conjunction with a stationary rack of the type having a horizontally disposed bar connecting with brackets for attachment to a wall comprising, a support rod disposed in parallel relationship with the bar of said stationary rack, said support rod proximate each end having an aperture provided therethrough, a pair of clamps, one of each clamps connecting through each aperture to the support rod and encircling said bar providing fixed suspension of said rod, a casing provided along one marginal edge of said towel, said support rod being inserted through said casing for retention of the substantially lengthwise suspended towel, said clamps being disconnectable from said support rod to provide for removal and replacement of the suspended towel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 37,686 2/1863 Goldthwait 21ll13 533,152 1/1895 Wheat 330 727,016 5/1903 Steckman 160330 1,543,985 6/1925 Caldwell 108-29 1,691,339 11/1928 Deming. 2,024,892 12/1935 Soper 21 1123 2,048,519 7/1936 Rose 211-123 X 2,476,887 7/1949 Minarcik 211-124 X 3,115,181 12/1963 Snyder 160330 X ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner RAYMOND D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

